Mon Chéri
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: When Remus' lycanthropy is revealed, he has to move to France and begin anew—but that's easier said than done. Luckily, there's someone there to help him. French!Sirius, Wolfstar


**A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts and the QLFC. Prompts are below! :) French translations are also at the bottom.**

**Captain: Write about transferring schools (restriction: not Hogwarts)**

**Lineage Studies Task 3: Write about being ashamed of your past**

**Word Count: 2694**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling. **

**WARNINGS: Some language, self-deprecating thoughts and insecurity**

**Note: I didn't write out the French accent Remus would hear in Sirius' voice because, to be honest, I thought that might be a little overwhelming with all the French in there. Also, this is very much an AU :) **

**Thanks to Ari for beta-ing!**

**Now, a HUGE thank you to Anna, who was an absolute goddess and helped me with all the French in this fic! She deserves all the love. **

**Enjoy!**

Everything was fine. It was okay. _He_ was okay.

Staring at the flying carriage Beauxbatons had sent to pick him up, Remus didn't quite believe himself.

"Hey." Warm, soft hands fell onto his shoulders, and Remus looked over at his mother. "It's going to be fine, Remus. You're so incredibly bright; you'll do wonderfully." Her amber eyes, golden in the light, were full of fondness—but also sadness. "Write me every month _at least_."

Remus smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I will."

Hope's brow creased as she frowned. "They're more liberal there," she murmured. "You don't have to keep the secret now, baby. You can have a fresh start."

But Remus didn't want to think about how he'd been careless enough that Severus Snape had figured out his secret. He didn't want to think about the school board kicking him out of Hogwarts and the strings Dumbledore had pulled to get him enrolled at Beauxbatons, or the fact that he and his mother had moved to France while his father stayed behind to sort out the Ministry regarding Remus' werewolf registration.

A fresh start. More like a new life.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah."

He hugged her tightly, then boarded the carriage. He gazed out the window as he took flight, his amber eyes locked onto the woman who was growing smaller and smaller—until she was completely gone.

* * *

Beauxbatons was… extremely different from Hogwarts. There weren't houses; students were grouped by year and gender. His uniform was a light blue he hated, and he tried to pretend that he drew second glances because he looked ridiculous in the robes and not because of the scars on his face.

But the biggest difference was the fact that people still bumped into him in the hallways. The ten-foot radius that Hogwarts students had maintained around him wasn't present here.

No one bothered him for being a werewolf, aside from a few curious glances. But the shame at being so publicly outed followed him to France and hung over him like a cloud wherever he went. The language barrier was a difficult obstacle to overcome, but many of the teachers were kind enough to provide him with English notes. Aside from that, Remus was very dependent on the small, tattered dictionary he carried in his bag.

His first day was relatively unremarkable; his peers lost interest quickly after discovering the limited conversation he could provide. It wasn't until astronomy that anything memorable happened.

Remus slipped into the classroom and found a desk safely in the middle of the room. He took out his supplies, glancing curiously above him. It was an observatory of sorts, with a domed, glass ceiling, unlike at Hogwarts where students would go to the Astronomy Tower to survey the night sky.

A group of boys entered the classroom, chatting away in French. Remus smiled weakly when they looked his way before turning his gaze to his desk. He caught snippets of conversation as they spoke, though he did his best to tune them out. "T'as vu le nouveau mec? Je crois que mon cœur s'est arrêté."

Remus busied himself by lining his quills up over and over again, straightening them in different ways.

"Salut toi. Tu dois être nouveau."

Remus nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard those words, his brain scrambling to make sense of them. The voice had spoken right beside his ear, and he turned to face his classmate, a flush spreading across his cheeks—no doubt making his scars stand out. He'd only caught one word, so that was the one Remus clung on to.

"Er. Bonjour?"

Grey eyes sparkled with amusement. "English, then?" The other boy's accent was thick, but the words were undoubtedly English. "You're the one from Britain?"

Remus shifted in his seat. "Yes."

The boy sat backwards in the seat in front of Remus, studying him closely. "Why'd they kick you out again?" A grin spread across the boy's features. "Did you make some trouble?"

Remus' eyes dropped to his lap. He wrung his hands anxiously as he answered. "No, I, er, have an illness that… um."

Understanding dawned in the boy's eyes, and Remus winced. "You're the werewolf. Britain's odd about that, aren't they?"

The tension drained from Remus' shoulders. "Yeah," he agreed. He let himself smile a little. "I'm Remus Lupin."

Long, dark hair fell in front of the boy's face as he leaned forward to shake Remus' hand. "Sirius Black. And I promise, Remus, no one's backwards about that here."

Remus' heart skipped a beat. "I'm glad to hear it."

* * *

_Dear Mam,_

_School's been fine so far. The uniforms are awful, but the classes are fun. I've learned a lot of the language already; my friend, Sirius Black, is helping me. I know this letter is awfully short, but there really isn't much to tell this first week. I'll keep you posted. Give Tad my best._

_Remus_

* * *

_Remus,_

_I'm so glad you've enjoyed your classes so far. But you're not fooling me—just a friend, is he? You were entirely too vague when describing him. I know you well enough to know when you're trying to keep something from me. I'm so happy for you! Be safe._

_Mam_

* * *

Beauxbatons was quickly becoming more and more bearable. As it turned out, Remus shared a dorm with Sirius and two other boys, with whom he got along well. Still, he held them all at arms length; they knew what he was, of course, but he was still determined to make sure they only saw the human parts of him.

Sometimes, when he was alone, he wondered what would happen if he simply… stopped. Just let the world pass by him, fade into the background, and… disappear.

James and Peter wrote when they could, but Remus hadn't replied yet. They wanted to hear that he was okay, that he was happy, that he'd meet up with them over the holidays. But the shame of humiliation still followed him; he couldn't escape it. The last thing he wanted was for James and Peter—or his parents—to realize just how broken he was.

Beauxbatons was much more liberal, yes, but there wasn't a single other werewolf in the school. There still wasn't anyone who could understand him.

"Well, don't you look like a bundle of joy. What's the matter, mon amour?"

Remus startled when he heard Sirius' voice. Did Sirius just call him—but he couldn't have. "Oh, nothing. Just lost in thought."

Sirius' grey eyes twinkled. "A dangerous place to be."

Remus rolled his eyes and hugged his pillow to his chest. "Shut up."

Sirius only shrugged and climbed onto Remus' bed, draping an arm over his shoulders. The French boy was a very touchy person; he loved to hug his friends whenever he could. Remus didn't mind.

The werewolf cleared his throat. "Where have you been?"

Sirius playfully ruffled Remus' tawny hair. "Gaining detentions," he said proudly.

Remus huffed out a laugh, though a pang went through his as he was reminded of James. "What for this time?"

Sirius pointed to his eyes, which were lined with blue eyeliner. "Colored makeup. Against the dress code."

Remus rolled his eyes. "And what did you say when they asked you to take it off?"

"I said, 'Ce sont mes yeux, professeur. Je fais ce que je veux avec.'" Then he repeated in English for Remus' benefit: "They're my eyes, professor. I do what I want with them."

Remus really did laugh then, and shoved Sirius' shoulder. "Merlin, you're impossible."

"Tu sais que tu aimes ça." At Remus' confused look, Sirius cleared his throat. "I said I know."

* * *

_Dear Mam,_

_I don't know what you're talking about. I just don't know much about him, is all. Sirius is a perfectly fine bloke, who's definitely not interested in me._

_Anyway, he's volunteered to teach me proper French, which should be interesting. Somehow I don't think the things I'll be learning will come up much in conversation, but it's an interesting way to pass the time, at least. _

_Winter holidays are just around the corner, you know. The full moon lands on Christmas Eve, and I was wondering if it wouldn't be better to stay at school until things calmed down over there._

_Much love, _

_Remus_

* * *

_Remus,_

_Nice try. I don't care how many reporters want an interview with the lycanthropic student who attended Hogwarts—they are not ruining our holiday. And since when has the full moon ever stopped us? The Potters and Pettigrews are stopping by, too—those boys have missed you so much, love. Would you like to invite any other friends from school?_

_For another matter, you are not fooling me one bit about Sirius. Give him an invitation to come this Christmas, and I'll see for myself that there's nothing going on between the two of you._

_All my love,_

_Mam_

* * *

It seemed that astronomy was the only class in which anything interesting happened. On the first day of school, it had been meeting Sirius. Today, it was realizing that some people just weren't very sensitive.

"C'est toi le loup-garou, pas vrai?"

Remus' stomach clenched. He was much, much better with the language, having been immersed in it for nearly a month now, but whenever his heart was racing his knowledge seemed to fly out the window. 'Werewolf' was a word he couldn't forget, though.

"Oui," he said slowly. He twisted around to look at the boy who'd spoken. "Vous avez besoin de quelque chose?"

Beausoleil—Remus shared a couple classes with him, though they'd never spoken—shook his head. "Non. Je me demandais juste ce que ça faisait."

Remus froze. What it's like? The blond-haired idiot before him was asking what being a werewolf was like in front of the entire class? Remus wanted to melt into his seat. Still, he had to play it off; he had to answer.

He tried to laugh. "Pas très agréable," he answered vaguely. _Unpleasant_ was an understatement.

Beausoleil looked at him curiously. "Comment ça? Est-ce que ça fait mal? Est-ce que ça a une influence sur toi en-dehors de la pleine lune?"

Remus' hands fisted the blue fabric of his robes in an effort to keep them from shaking. He didn't want to talk about the pain, or the way lycanthropy _influenced him—_

"Ça fait combien de temps que tu es loup-garou?" one girl spoke up. Suddenly all eyes were on him, waiting for him to answer the question.

Remus couldn't breathe. That was too personal. Revealing when, exactly, he'd lost his humanity—as so many people chose to put it—just wasn't done. It had been ingrained in him for so long that he needed to keep that night a secret.

He hated that they knew. Everything had been so much easier when it was a secret he'd been keeping—when people knew him as _Remus_ and not _the werewolf._

His mouth opened and closed; they were expecting an answer. He needed to provide them with one.

"Laisse-le."

Remus' head whipped around towards Sirius, who'd come, it seemed, just in time to defend him. Those grey eyes were blazing with an anger Remus hadn't seen in his friend before. Sirius stalked over to Beausoleil, muscles tense and back rigid.

Beausoleil took a step back—not that Remus could blame him. Sirius glanced over his shoulder at his friend, his eyes softening a fraction. In English he said, "Go back to the dorm, Remus; I'll tell the professor something."

Remus hesitated. "You don't have to do that, Sirius," he murmured.

Sirius frowned sharply. "Yes, I do."

And because Remus knew the other boy would give the class a piece of his mind, Remus left quickly, feeling a headache coming on. He didn't want to witness the conflict—not again.

The last time anyone had stuck up for him in regards to his lycanthropy had been James and Peter, so strong and brave against the scorning words of their peers…

Remus didn't want to be reminded of that.

Back in the dorm, he waited a long time for Sirius to return. Remus waited impatiently, clenching and unclenching his fists as he wore a hole in the carpet. Eventually, the old mahogany door creaked open, and Sirius walked in, looking murderous.

Remus leapt to his side. "What happened?" he demanded. Then he caught sight of Sirius' bloodied knuckles, and his stomach churned. "Oh, Sirius, you didn't hit him, did you?"

"He deserved it!" Sirius spat.

Remus walked over to his truck and took out a some basic healing supplies. "It doesn't matter," he muttered as he cleaned the blood away. "You still shouldn't have hit him; that's never the answer."

Sirius was silent for a long time. "That's what I don't understand about you," he stated softly.

Remus looked up. "What?"

"You go through life, you try to be nice to people, you struggle to resist the urge to punch them in the face, and for what? All it does is make you miserable; that much is obvious. Why don't you just put them in their place for once?"

Because if he showed anger, all they would see was the wolf. If he didn't keep his head bowed, they would find ways to force his nose into the ground.

"It's not like I'm miserable all the time." His voice was shaky.

"Are you kidding me? It's the same old shit, day after day." Sirius used his good hand to pinch Remus' chin between his fingers, forcing Remus to look up. Remus' breath caught in his throat. "They aren't worth your tears, Remus."

Remus pulled away, shaking. "You don't understand," he whispered. "It's not that easy."

"Why not?" Sirius challenged. "Beausoleil was a jerk. Not everyone is like that, but it's like you expect them to be."

"Don't you understand? When everyone knows what I am, they don't really see _me_—they see my illness. When people don't know what I am, I have to lie to them, and then they have two reasons to hate me. There's just not a way for me to fit in anywhere."

Sirius quickly crossed the room and pulled him into a hug. Remus resisted at first, but he couldn't help but melt into it. "Remus, no. I don't want you thinking that way."

Remus had promised himself, long ago, that he would never fall in love. But wrapped up in Sirius' arms, being reassured so tenderly… he could feel himself falling.

Sirius' voice was soft. "You're not… ashamed of being a werewolf, are you?"

Remus squeezed his eyes shut and didn't answer.

"Britain is wrong," Sirius said fiercely. "You're not a monster. You're the kindest, bravest person I know."

"You've known me two months," Remus pointed out weakly.

"It's the truth."

Then Sirius was leaning backwards, his eyes locked onto Remus'. "I mean it," he said hoarsely. "All it does is make you stronger, Remus."

Remus was trembling with desire, with the sheer emotion that was charged between them. He didn't really believe Sirius—he'd been taught to fear what he was, to keep it hidden like a shameful secret, and he'd _failed _at that, _failed_ at protecting his family from the consequences of keeping him unregistered and _failed_ at proving to Dumbledore it hadn't been a mistake to enroll him—and _failed_ to keep his friends safe from the social suicide that came from siding with a werewolf.

None of that made him strong. It made him so, so weak.

Remus was interrupted from these thoughts when warm lips pressed against his own. He gasped, his eyes falling closed, and rocked into the kiss—

"Merlin." He broke away. "Sirius, we _can't_."

Sirius was panting. "Pourquoi pas?"

Remus gestured at himself. "This isn't what it looks like! My illness—it's not easy, or something to make light of, it's… extreme."

Sirius' eyes were dark. "That's how I like things. Extreme."

When he kissed Remus again, the younger boy didn't pull away. He felt wanted. He felt needed, and despite what he was arguing, Remus felt _accepted._

When Sirius deepened the kiss, Remus' body burned so hot he might as well have had sunstroke.

* * *

_Mam—_

_You were right. And Sirius will be joining us for Christmas dinner._

_Remus_

**A/N: **

**Translations: **

**"T'as vu le nouveau mec? Je crois que mon cœur s'est arrêté." - "You see the new bloke? I think my heart just stopped."**

**"Salut toi. Tu dois être nouveau." - "Hello, there. You must be new."**

**"Mon amour." - "My love."**

**"Ce sont mes yeux, professeur. Je fais ce que je veux avec." - "They're my eyes, professor. I do what I want with them."**

**"Tu sais que tu aimes ça." - "You know you love it."**

**"C'est toi le loup-garou, pas vrai?" - "You're the werewolf, right?"**

"**Vous avez besoin de quelque chose?" - "Yes. Do you need something?"**

**"Non. Je me demandais juste ce que ça faisait." - "No. I was just wondering what it's like."**

**"Pas très agréable." - "Unpleasant."**

**"Comment ça ? Est-ce que ça fait mal ? Est-ce que ça a une influence sur toi en-dehors de la pleine lune ?" - "How so? Does it hurt? Does it influence you outside the full moon?"**

**"Ça fait combien de temps que tu es loup-garou ?" - "How long have you been a werewolf?"**

**"Laisse-le." - "Leave him alone."**

**"Pourquoi pas ?" - "Why not?"**

* * *

**Prompts:**

**WC: Assorted Appreciation: 11. Lady Christina de Souza — alt. (dialogue) "That's how I like things. Extreme."**

**WC: Disney Challenge: Songs 2. Two Worlds — Write about a pairing from different walks of life**

**WC: Trope of the Month: 8. (emotion) loneliness**

**WC: All Sorts of Space: 7. Lance — (trait) flirtatious**

**WC: Book Club: Holsten — (word) volunteer, (dialogue) "I don't want you thinking that way.", (plot point) waiting for someone**

**WC: Showtime: 7. All I've Ever Known — (emotion) lonely**

**WC: Amber's Attic: 30. Hope and Remus Lupin**

**WC: Sophie's Shelf: 6. Missy Foreman-Greenwald — write about someone who is self-conscious over their physicalities**

**WC: Press Play: 21. "They're my eyes, I do what I like with them."**

**WC: Liza's Loves: 17. Soldier — alt. Write about someone with scars**

**WC: Angel's Archives: 22. "I think my heart just stopped." "Je crois que mon cœur s'est arrêté."**

**WC: Scamander's Case: 25. (character) Sirius Black **

**WC: Bex's Basement: 1. "You go through life, you try to be nice to people, you struggle to resist the urge to punch them in the face, and for what?" (5 bonus points)**

**WC: Film Festival: 2. (trait) kind**

**WC: Marvel Appreciation: 3. Write about someone losing their best friend**

**WC: Lyric Alley: 2. One thing I said I would never do**

**Seasonal: Day of the Year: 29 June — write about someone who loves to hug people whenever they can**

**Seasonal: Summer: 9. (word) sunstroke**

**Seasonal: Colors: 7. Gold**

**Seasonal: Fire: 6. (word) blaze**

**Seasonal: Mix It Up: Remus Lupin, "This isn't what it looks like!"**

**Seasonal: Gryffindor: Traits 11. Rule-breaker**

**Seasonal: Astrology: 4. (class) astrology**

**Mythology Club: 20."It's the same old shit, day after day."**

**Sci-Fi: 2. Telepathy — (plot point) someone has a headache**

**Wacky Wandmakers: 13. Dogwood: (era) Marauders, 3. Phoenix feather: (character) Remus Lupin, 13 inches: "It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." - Aristotle**

**Game Night: Dares: (relationship) mother/son**

**Fortnightly: The 100: Lincoln: Write about someone misunderstood**

**Olympics: Remus Lupin, Skateboarding: Silver: min. 800 words, (character) Sirius Black**

**365: 19. Bundle**

**Scavenger Hunt: 94. inspiration from song (Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift)**

**Insane: 623. (quote) "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you don't stop." - Confucius **


End file.
